Mr Monk and The Kiss
by iloveromance
Summary: What if Natalie suddenly kissed Adrian?
1. Chapter 1

"Mitch, stop!" Natalie laughed, sighing as her husband trailed kisses down her neck.

"God, you're beautiful..." Mitch whispered, ignoring his wife's protests.

"Mitch, really!" Natalie said. "Julie is right down the hall. She'll hear us!"

Mitch's mouth moved from Natalie's neck, finding her lips.

"Julie is sleeping." He said breathlessly. "She won't hear a thing."

Natalie sighed, wishing this moment could go on forever.

"I love you so much..." Mitch whispered into her hair.

"I love you too, Mitch." Natalie whispered back.

The ringing phone startled them both. Mitch groaned and continued kissing her.

"Mitch!" Natalie laughed. "Get the phone!"

"Mmmm... What phone?" Mitch asked, finding her lips once more.

Finally, Natalie reached over the bed and picked up the receiver.

"Hello?"

The ringing continued.

_That's weird_... Natalie thought

"Hello?" she said again, but the phone still rang.

_What is going on?_ Natalie thought.

"HELLO?" she yelled into the phone.

"OW! Natalie! Why are you yelling?" Monk asked.

"Mr. Monk!" Natalie groaned. She opened her eyes and focused on her alarm clock.

"What time is it?"

"It's 9AM exactly." Monk said. "I would have called earlier, but I only call people at the

exact hour."

"Julie's asleep." Natalie said.

"Why would she be sleeping at 9AM?" Monk asked. "Shouldn't she be in school?"

Natalie rubbed her eyes. "Wait... what time did you say it was?"

"9AM. Well, now it's 9:01...an uneven number..." Monk answered; his voice filled with despair.

Natalie looked around the room, and suddenly it dawned on her. The intimate moment she had been sharing with Mitch had been a dream...

She leaned back against her pillow and sighed.

"Oh God..." Tears filled her eyes and she quickly brushed them away. Mitch had died a long time ago, but sometimes she missed him so much, it was unbearable.

"Natalie! Natalie! Are you there?" Monk was yelling into the phone.

"What?" Natalie asked. "Yes, yes. I'm here, Mr. Monk. Is something wrong?"

"The captain wants us to see us immediately. There's been a murder at Pier 59." Monk said.

"Okay, Mr. Monk. Give me 30 minutes and I'll meet you there." Natalie said.

"30 minutes?" Monk cried. "Why so long?"

"I have to get dressed, Mr. Monk. I'm still in my pajamas." Natalie said.

"There's no time!" Monk yelled!

"But Mr. Monk, I can't go investigating a murder seen in blue flannel pajamas!" Natalie said.

Monk sighed. "Well, alright. But the captain's not going to like this."

"I'm sure he'll understand." Natalie said.

"But Natalie-" Monk protested.

Natalie sighed, hanging up the phone before Monk could continue. She got out of bed and went to change her clothes.

As she walked by her dresser, her eyes locked on the mahogany picture frame. Mitch's face smiled at her, and she felt her breath catch in her throat.

God, she missed him...

But there was no time for memories now. She had work to do.


	2. Chapter 2

"Natalie, thank God!" Monk yelled when he spotted her on the pier. "I thought you'd never get here!"

"Mr. Monk, you just called me..." she looked at her watch. "32 minutes ago."

"I know! 32 minutes! You said you'd be here in 30 minutes!" Monk said.

"Mr. Monk, that was an estimate!" Natalie said.

"But you didn't say 'estimate' on the phone." Monk said.

"Hey! I made pretty good time, though." Natalie said. "I'm only two minutes late!"

Monk scoffed. "Two minutes... that's like a lifetime."

"Good morning, Kids!" Captain Leland Stottlemeyer said as he and Randy Disher approached them.

"Good morning, Captain." Monk said. "We got here as quickly as possible." He glared at Natalie. "Well, at least _I_ did."

"Mr. Monk!" Natalie yelled.

"Are we finished, boys and girls?" Leland asked.

"What's going on, Captain?" Natalie asked.

"Well, we've got another murder on our hands." Leland said.

Natalie sighed. Although she liked the extra pay, it almost wasn't worth it, knowing that for every job she and Mr. Monk handled, there was one more murder in San Francisco.

"Another murder?" She asked.

"I'm afraid so." Randy said. "Well, it's job security, anyway!"

Natalie's eyes widened. "Randy! That's a terrible thing to say!" To Leland she asked,

"Who was the victim?"

Randy read from his notebook. "John Seymore. Age 32, was a worker on the dock, here. The body was almost unrecognizable."

"Oh my God..." Natalie said. "Was he married? Did he have any kids?"

Randy looked at his notebook. "It doesn't say."

"Looks like we'd better get to work." Monk said.

"Monk's absolutely right." Leland said. "Kids, you check out the entryways and alleys up here, and Randy and I are gonna go question the dock workers. See if any of them know anything."

"Yes sir!" Natalie said. "Come on, Mr. Monk."

They walked around each area of the pier, as Monk used his hands to scan for any clues. Suddenly, faint barking noises could be heard from the water's edge.

"What is that noise?" Monk asked.

"Let's check it out." Natalie said excitedly. Upon closer inspection, they found that the barking was coming from a group of sea lions.

Monk gasped in shock at the sight of the furry creatures.

"Oh, look!" Natalie said. "Aren't they cute?"

"Cute?" Monk said, holding his ears in agony. "They sound like gigantic dogs! Make them stop!"

"Aww... look, Mr. Monk." Natalie said as she moved closer to the sea lions. "They're saying 'hello'!"

"They're filthy!" Monk exclaimed, pointing to the sea lions. "Look at that! They're eating fish right off of the pier!"

"Hmm..." Natalie said. "You're absolutely right, Mr. Monk. I'll just go over to that kitchen shop and buy them some plates."

"Okay. What kind should we get?" Monk asked.

"Mr. Monk, I was kidding!" Natalie said. "Come on, we need to get back to work!"

They continued to search for clues, but with nothing to go on, Natalie was becoming frustrated. She decided to do some deeper digging... without Mr. Monk.

Monk was hard at work, using a pair of tweezers to sift through a pile of debris.

"Ugh! This is disgusting!" He was saying. "This place should be condemned."

Noticing that Monk was completely immersed (almost literally) in his work, Natalie snuck away and crept into a nearby alley.

Bingo. A clue...

"Mr. Monk!" she yelled, bending down to pick up the gun. "I found something!"

She looked around to make sure she was alone. "Mr. Monk!" She yelled again.

"Mr-AHHHHH!"

Before she knew what was happening, she felt a hand over her mouth and was being dragged along the ground. The hand moved for a split second, and she managed to scream again.

"Natalie!" Monk yelled. His footsteps could be heard approaching the alley. "I'm coming!"

Natalie opened her eyes and saw Monk holding a gun.

"Let her go." Monk said, aiming the gun directly at Natalie's captor.

Natalie gasped as the man pulled out a knife and held it to her throat. She had never been so scared in her life.

"Well, well... said the man. "If it isn't Adrian Monk and his lovely assistant, Natalie Teeger!"

Monk walked closer to the man, never moving his gun away.

"P-please... don't kill me." Natalie said. "I have a daughter."

"Now, isn't that sweet?" The man said, tightening his grip around Natalie's body. "Too bad your daughter is going to be an orphan soon.

Without warning, Monk pointed his gun in the air and fired a shot.

"That wasn't very smart, Monk." The man said. "Say goodbye to Natalie Teeger."

"NO!" Monk yelled. A sudden rage seemed to fill him as he ran toward the man, knocking him to the ground.

"Hands on your head!" Leland yelled. Randy was right behind him, picking the man off the pavement. He cuffed the captor and pushed him toward the police car.

"Get this scum out of here!" He told the officer.

Leland motioned to the backup officers. "Good job." Get the body down to forensics so we can close this case."

He looked at Monk. "Well, Monk. Another excellent job."

Monk blushed. "Well, Captain... I really didn't do anything."

"Sure you did." Leland said with a smile.


	3. Chapter 3

Natalie walked to a nearby bench overlooking the water and sat down. The water was calm and the sea lions were enjoying their afternoon nap. She began to remember all the times she and Mitch had walked hand and hand on this very pier.

"Natalie?" Monk asked. Did you hear what I said?"

"What?" Natalie asked, startled to find him sitting next to her.

"The captain is expecting us back at his office." Monk said.

Natalie turned to him. "You saved my life, Mr. Monk." she said, hugging him tightly.

"Thank you. That guy would have killed me if you hadn't been there."

Monk pulled away, but Natalie noticed that he was blushing. A smile came over her face and she reached out, touching his hair. Monk became tense, but Natalie didn't notice.

"W-what are you doing?" Monk asked; his voice trembling with fear.

"Now I know why Trudy fell in love with you." Natalie said. Before she knew what was happening, she was inches away from his face.

Monk began to breathe heavily and his eyes filled with terror.

Then, before she could stop herself, their lips touched.

Seconds later, she realized what she had done. "Mr. Monk..." she said, still in shock.

"Y-you... kissed me." Monk said, covering his mouth with his hand.

Natalie reached into her purse and gave him a wipe. He began to rub his face repeatedly, scrubbing each and every inch.

"Mr. Monk, I'm so sorry! I..." she looked away, unable to face him.

"You kissed me." Monk said again. "Trudy was the last person to kiss me. I could still feel her lips on mine, until..."

"Until now." Natalie said as a tear rolled down her cheek. "Oh my God, Mr. Monk. I can't believe I did that."

"I'll never feel Trudy kissing me again." Monk lamented. He stood and started to walk away, touching each pole as he passed them.

"Mr. Monk! Where are you going?" Natalie cried. "Mr. Monk! I'm sorry!"

Suddenly, Monk began to run.

"Mr. Monk!" Natalie yelled again.

But it was too late.


	4. Chapter 4

For what seemed like hours, Natalie ran along the waterfront, stopping in every door she could find. What had she done? She had to find Monk, no matter how long it took.  
Eventually, she gave up looking. Fear crept through her, knowing that Mr. Monk was capable of anything. What if something happens to him?

She got in her car and headed for Ambrose's house. When she arrived, she stared at the house, remembering the date that she and Ambrose had, shortly after Halloween.

They never left the house, but it was definitely the most memorable date she'd had in a long time.

Unhooking her seat belt she opened the car door. Just as she was about to get out, it hit her.

She couldn't do this. What would she say? No doubt Ambrose would be home. But really... What would she say to him? That she kissed his brother and probably caused him to have a nervous breakdown?

No. This was wrong. Ambrose was so like his brother. Telling Ambrose what she did to Monk would be unbearable.

Sighing, she got back in her car and drove away.


	5. Chapter 5

Meanwhile, at Natalie's house, the phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Julie, is that you? It's Captain Stottlemeyer"

"Oh, Hi Captain!" Julie said brightly.

"How ya doin'?" Leland asked.

"Oh, I'm good. I got an 'A' on my math test." Julie beamed.

"Well, that's wonderful." Leland said. "Is your mom around?"

"Um, no. Actually I haven't seen her all day. She left a note saying she went to Pier 59. I just figured she'd be with Mr. Monk." Julie said.

"Well, they were supposed to meet me at the office hours ago." Leland said.

"And they didn't show up?" Julie asked.

"Not yet." Leland said. "But I'm sure they're fine. I'll try calling Monk again." Leland said.

"Um, Captain?" Julie asked. "Now you're scaring me. Did something happen to my mom and Mr. Monk?"

"Ah, look... Julie. I'm gonna get a hold of them as soon as possible. You know Monk.

He's always getting himself into a mess. I'll call you as soon as I hear anything." Leland said.

"Well... okay." Julie said. "Bye Captain."


	6. Chapter 6

Natalie's car skidded into the parking lot of the police station, narrowly missing a red Mazda. She hurried out of the car and slammed the door, not bothering to get her purse or her keys.

Breathless, she ran into the station.

"I've gotta see the Captain." She yelled, causing a few heads to turn.  
Leland walked out of his office. "What's going on? Who- Natalie! where have you been? And where's Monk?"

Natalie cringed at the question.

"Yoo hoo! Nat!" Disher said, waving his hand in front of her face to get her attention.

"I-I'm sorry" Natalie said. "What did you ask me?"

"I wanted to know where Monk is. I need him on this case. "

Natalie sighed."I don't know."

"You don't know? Now how is that possible? And I called you at least ten times. Why didn't you answer your phone?" Leland said.

"I don't know where Mr. Monk is." Natalie said again. "He ran away."

"Ran away?" Leland asked in disbelief. "Why?"

"Um..." Natalie responded, struggling to find the right words.

"Well? Out with it!" Leland demanded.

"It was because of me!" Natalie yelled. "It was my fault! I did it!"

Leland looked nervously at Randy. "Uh, Randy... why don't you get with the other officers and see if they have anymore information on this case?"

"Okay." Randy said. He walked away and then stepped back into the office. "Let me know what happens, okay?"

Leland rolled his eyes. "Yeah, sure Randy. Now would you please shut the door?"

Randy groaned. "But then I won't be able to hear what..."

"Lt. Disher!" Leland yelled.

Randy quickly shut the door and walked away.

"Natalie, have a seat." Leland said.

Natalie sat down across from the Captain. Realizing that Natalie was crying, he handed her a tissue.

"Okay, what happened?" Leland asked.

"Well, you know how he saved my life, right?" Natalie asked. She blotted her eyes with the tissue.

"Oh yeah! I was there, remember?" Leland said with a smile. "That Monk... he's a hell of a guy. So what happened?"

"Well, I've been thinking a lot about Mitch lately and I guess I was thinking about him after Mr. Monk saved me, because I..."

"You what, Natalie?"

"I kissed him."

Leland's eyes widened. "You _kissed_ Monk?"

Natalie nodded.

"On the mouth?"

"Yes." Her voice was so soft, she wondered if he even heard her.

Leland stood and walked around the room. "Wow... This-I don't know what this is, but this is big. You _kissed _Monk?"

"Yes!" Natalie said. "How many times to I have to tell you?"

"Well, until I believe it." Leland said. "Do you realize what you've done? Monk is gonna be scarred for life over this!"

Natalie stood and grabbed another tissue from the box on the Captain's desk. "Don't you think I know that?" She yelled.

"Oh man... I need to sit down!" Leland said. "Wow... this is huge."

"You mentioned that." Natalie said.

"So now Monk's gone." Leland said.

"Yes, and it's my fault." Natalie said. "If I hadn't kissed him, then..."

Leland and Natalie looked up to see Randy standing in the doorway.

"Oh hell..." Leland said.

"You_ kissed _Monk?" Randy said, taking a bite of an apple.

"Yes!" Natalie said, yelling the word. She stood and turned to him. "I kissed Mr. Monk.

On the mouth! Is there anything else you want to know? Oh and he ran away. I can't find him."

"Wow..." Randy said, taking another bite. "He'll be scarred for life."

Leland looked at Natalie, who was crying again. "Thank you, Randy. We've established that. Now leave."

"Look, Natalie..." Leland said. "I'm sure Monk is fine."

"You'd better hope so." Randy said. "But I bet he's scarred for life."

"Randy?" Leland said

"Yeah?"

"Go away."


	7. Chapter 7

"Mr. Monk!" Natalie yelled as they ran through the park.

"Monk? Where are you, Buddy?" Leland yelled.

"Oh God... he's not here." Natalie said.

"Why did you pick this place?" Leland asked.

"Because... he said he used to come here with Trudy." Natalie said.

"Well, there's no sign of him here." Leland said. "Can you think of anywhere we might have missed?"

"No, I've tried everywhere." Natalie said.

"What about his house?" Leland asked.

"Everywhere but there." Natalie said with a sigh.

"He's bound to be there." Leland said. "Come on. Let's go find him."


	8. Chapter 8

They arrived at Monk's house and Leland searched the premises.

"Okay..." He said, after finding nothing. "Let's go in."

Natalie went up to the door and rang the doorbell. Her throat was dray with nervousness as she waited for an answer. Unfortunately, no answer came. Helplessly, she looked at the Captain and shrugged.

"Alright." Leland said. He went up to the door and banged as hard as he could.

"Monk? Open up!" He banged on the door again. "Adrian Monk? This is Captain

Leland Stottlemeyer and I am ordering you to open the door!"

When there was still no answer, Leland looked at Natalie. "I'm gonna have to use force." He said.

"Force? As in breaking and entering?" Natalie said.

"Stand back." Leland said. "Monk! Stand back! I'm coming in!" He kicked the door repeatedly until it finally opened. He and Natalie stepped inside.

"MONK!" Leland yelled.

"Mr. Monk!" Natalie called.

They looked around the house in disbelief.

"What in the hell happened here?" Leland asked.

The place was a disaster... clothes thrown in every direction, overturned furniture, and broken glass littered the carpet.

"Oh my God..." Natalie said. "Someone broke into Mr. Monk's house!"

"Natalie, I had to break the door down. It was locked." Leland said. "Why would someone break in and then lock the door before leaving?"

"Common courtesy?" Randy asked.

"Shut up, Randy." Leland said.

"I-I don't know!" Natalie said. "Something happened!"

"Well, you're right about that!" Leland said. He picked up his cell phone and dialed the station.

"I need backup to Monk's house! Now!" He yelled.

"Monk's in trouble!"


	9. Chapter 9

The backup officers arrived. "What's going on?" Randy asked.

"Well Randy, as you can see, Monk's house is a disaster for starters." Leland said.

"No sign of an intruder?" Randy asked.

"No, Randy. Like I told you before, intruders don't lock the door when they leave." Leland said.

"Someone did this..." Natalie said.

"Well now that's the damndest thing..." Leland said. "I think something happened to him."

Natalie looked at the Captain in horror. "You don't think he's..."

"Dead?" Randy asked. "It sure looks that way."

"Randy!" Leland said. "We don't have any evidence to suggest that."

"Okay, Men. This is an urgent matter." Leland said to the backup officers. "Nobody leaves here until we find out what happened to Monk. Search every inch of this house."

Natalie walked over to the fireplace and shook the broken shards of glass from the wooden picture frames.

"Look at this..." she said, showing the frames to Randy and Leland. "Monk would have never done this. These are his pictures of Trudy."

"Something's up." Leland said. "I just wish to hell I knew what it was."

"Oh my God..." Natalie said, sinking into Monk's favorite chair. "This is all my fault. Mr. Monk's probably dead."

"Excuse me, Maam." Randy said. "You can't sit there."

"Ma'am?" Natalie repeated.

"It's crucial evidence." Randy said, pointing to the chair.

"Okay, Randy." Leland said, pushing Lt. Disher toward the hallway. "Go into Monk's bedroom and make sure that every inch has been searched."

"Can't I stay, just for a minute?" Randy asked.

"Randy, if you don't leave now, I'll take you in for questioning." Leland said.

"About what?" Randy asked.

"I'll think of something." Leland said.

Leland turned to see Natalie, holding a picture of Monk to her chest, and his mood softened.

"Hey Natalie... Why don't you go home for a little while? We've got everything under control here. We'll call you the minute we hear anything."

"No!" Natalie said. I'm staying right here. I can't rest until I know that Mr. Monk is okay."


	10. Chapter 10

"Dr. Kroger speaking."

The response on his cell phone was a frantic, jumbled mess of words.

"I-I'm sorry; I can't understand what you're saying. Could you speak a little slower?"

Whoever was calling was in deep distress.

"Sir, I want to help you, but you're talking much too fast. Did you say 'help, emergency'?"

He became worried. He'd never gotten a call like this before.

"Sir, please. Try to calm down and tell me what's wrong so I-Adrian? Is that you? Now Adrian, just relax. Can you tell me what's wrong?"

The panic in Monk's voice was overwhelming.

"Okay, Adrian. Are you at home? I'll come over right- Oh. Alright. Well, tell me where to come meet you." Dr Kroger scribbled on his notepad.

"Adrian? Listen to me. Just relax and I'll be there in fifteen minutes. Stay right where you are." Dr. Kroger hung up the phone and grabbed his coat.

"I'll be out for a while. Probably the rest of the day." He told his secretary.

As he drove through the streets of San Francisco, he tried to imagine what could have gotten Adrian so upset.

Glancing at his watch, he saw that he had only a few minutes until his fifteen minutes were up. He wasn't sure what Adrian would do if his therapist didn't arrive at the exact time he promised.

He pulled his car into a parking garage across the street from the Embarcadero. His heart raced as he ran to the waterfront. Relief filled him when he found the industrial pier that Adrian had mentioned.

But what would Adrian be doing here?

"Adrian?" He called as he walked onto the wooden dock. "It's Dr. Kroger. Where are you?"

He scanned the area, looking for any sign of his patient. Worry began to fill him once more, but he refused to fear the worst. Suddenly, he heard a whimpering sound, coming from a dark corner.

"Adrian?" He called again. The whimpering grew louder until it sounded as though someone were crying. When he reached the source of the noise, he froze...

There, in the darkness, was Adrian Monk. He was sitting directly on the pier; his knees hugged to his chest. His shaking body slowly rocked back and forth as he sobbed.

"Trudy! Oh God! Trudy!" Adrian moaned.

Dr. Kroger was at Adrian's side in an instant. He put a gentle hand around Adrian's shoulder.

"Adrian?" He said as softly as he could. "Come with me. You shouldn't be here alone."

"NO!" Adrian yelled, startling Dr. Kroger. Adrian jerked his arm away from Dr. Kroger's touch.

Dr. Kroger sighed. "Adrian, please. You can't stay here. It's not safe." Gently, he pulled Adrian to his feet, keeping a strong arm around his patient. "Come on, Adrian. Let me get you somewhere safe."

Together they walked down the sidewalk, as Monk stopped to touch each and every wooden post along the way. Finally they reached Dr. Kroger's car, but Adrian appeared afraid to get in.

"It's okay, Adrian." Dr. Kroger said reassuringly.

Although Dr. Kroger's office was only a few minutes away, it seemed to take a lifetime to get there.


	11. Chapter 11

"Drink this, Adrian." Dr Kroger said, handing his patient a glass of ice water.

"That's good." Dr Kroger smiled. "Are you comfortable?"

Monk nodded and sank into his favorite chair; the one he'd been sitting in ever since he first came to see Dr. Kroger.

After making some notes, Dr. Kroger sat down across from Monk. "Are you ready to talk about this?" He said. "I want to help, but I need to know what happened."

Monk shrugged."Okay..."

"Good." Dr. Kroger said. "Now, did something happen during one of your investigations?"

Monk nodded. "Well, we were on Pier 59. That would be Natalie and I."

"Yes. Go on." Dr. Kroger said.

"And the suspect took Natalie hostage." Monk said.

"Really? "Well that must have been very traumatic for her. Was she hurt?"

"The man... had a... knife to her throat."

"A _knife_? I bet Natalie was terrified."

"Yeah. She looked pretty scared."

"So what happened?" Dr. Kroger asked.

Monk blushed.

"Adrian? Did something happen? I think something good happened and you're afraid to tell me."

"I-I saved her." Monk's face broke into a smile.

"Wait-Did you just say you _saved_ Natalie?" Dr. Kroger asked. He leaned foreword in his chair.

Monk nodded. "Mmm Hmm."

"Tell me about it." Dr. Kroger said.

Monk sighed. "H-here's the thing. I-I can't."

"Adrian! Come on! You did something you should be proud of! Now take it nice and slow."

"W-well, she started screaming and I ran to her. The suspect had a knife to her throat and... I-I don't know. I snapped."

"You _snapped_?"

"Yeah! I ran and knocked the guy over." Monk said.

"Really!" Dr. Kroger said. "Wow, Adrian. This is certainly a breakthrough! I'm sure

Natalie was very grateful."

Monk sighed. "Oh... yeah..."

"Well, now it's interesting the way you answered that, Adrian. Is that what's been bothering you?"

Monk began to cry.

"So something Natalie said or did after you saved her has caused this dissociative episode.".

"Oh God!" Monk said, as he started to sob. "Trudy! I'm so sorry, Trudy!"

Suddenly, Dr. Kroger understood.

"Adrian, have you ever kissed anyone besides Trudy?"

Monk shook his head.

"I see..." Dr Kroger scribbled on his notepad.

"Adrian? Adrian? Just try to relax. Let me ask you something. Did you enjoy the kiss?"

"E-enjoy?" Monk repeated.

"Yes Adrian. Did you enjoy kissing Natalie?"

"I-I don't know." Monk said.

"Describe how it felt." Dr. Kroger said.

"Um... wet?" Monk said.

"Wet." Dr. Kroger repeated, writing the word on his notepad. "Okay, anything else?"

Monk was silent.

"Well, Adrian let me ask you this. Are you attracted to Natalie?"

"Am I-" Monk looked at Dr. Kroger in horror. "W-why would you ask me that?"

"Well, you told me once that Natalie reminded you of Trudy."

"Trudy..." Monk sighed.

"Adrian? Are you feeling some anxiety because someone other than Trudy kissed you?"

"Well yeah! I mean, wouldn't you?" Monk retorted.

"I don't know, Adrian." Dr. Kroger said, removing his glasses. Tiredly he rubbed the bridge of his nose and replaced his glasses.

Monk was silent for a long time. Dr. Kroger waited patiently for him to continue.

After several minutes, Monk said "I-I can't... I can't feel her lips on mine anymore."

Dr. Kroger sighed. Finally he understood the whole story. "Alright, well what happened after Natalie kissed you?"

"S-she said she was sorry." Monk said.

"And what did you do?"

"I did the only thing I could do. I ran!" Monk said.

Dr. Kroger wrote in his notebook. "Well, Adrian, I think that Natalie's kissing you was just a response to the gratitude she felt towards you. Unless..."

"Unless what?" Monk asked.

"Well, unless you're attracted to her." Dr. Kroger said.

Monk looked at Dr. Kroger in shock. "How could you even suggest such a thing?"

"Well, Adrian, you've known her for three years. And you did save her life."

"But Trudy hasn't even been gone ten years!" Monk said.

"That's a long time, Adrian. I just..."

"Yeah?"

"Oh, never mind." Dr. Kroger said with a sigh.

There was another long pause.

"Adrian? Why did you save Natalie?"

Monk thought for a minute.

"I-I didn't want her to end up like Trudy." He responded.

Dr. Kroger smiled. "You mean, you didn't want to lose her."

Adrian grinned. "No. I guess I didn't."


	12. Chapter 12

"Stottlemeyer."

"Captain, this is Dr. Kroger speaking."

"Dr. Kroger, thank God! I have been trying to reach you all day! Something's happened to Monk." Leland said.

"Well, actually that's why I'm calling." Dr. Kroger said.

"Oh God. What's happened?"

"Don't worry." Dr. Kroger said. "Adrian is just fine."

"Well how do you know that?" Leland asked.

"He's in my office." Dr. Kroger said.

Leland smiled. "Dr. Kroger you have no idea how happy I am to hear you say that."

"I'm going to take Adrian home now. He's had a pretty rough experience." Dr. Kroger said.

"To say the least." Leland said. "We'll meet you at Monk's house in half an hour." He hung up the phone and turned to Natalie.

Natalie looked at him worriedly. "Well?"

"Monk's fine. He's with Dr. Kroger." Leland said.

"Oh my God!" Natalie screamed, laughing as she threw her arms around Randy.

"Take it easy!" Randy said. "I told you everything would be fine."

"Natalie released her grip and glared at him. "No you didn't. You told me that Mr. Monk was probably dead!"

Randy shrugged. "Nobody's perfect."

"You can say that again." Leland said.

"I just hope Mr. Monk can forgive me." Natalie said.

"Look, Natalie, the man saved your life. He cares about you." Leland said. "For Monk, that is huge."

Natalie smiled. "It sure is."


	13. Chapter 13

"Well, here we are, Adrian." Dr. Kroger said as they arrived at Monk's house. "Are you sure you're going to be okay?"

"I'll never be okay." Monk sighed.

"Come on, Adrian. You made real progress today. And you're a hero. You should be proud of yourself." Dr. Kroger said.

"Yeah. I should be." Monk said.

"Are you ready to go inside?" Dr. Kroger asked.

Monk sighed. "I suppose."

They got out of the car and walked to the door. "Do you have your key, Adrian, or should I ring the bell?" Dr. Kroger asked.

Monk pulled his keys from his pocket and unlocked the door.

"Monk, Buddy! How ya' doin'?" Leland exclaimed, startling Monk by slapping him on the back.

"Good to see you, Monk!" Randy said, forcefully shaking Monk's hand. "We thought you were a goner for a while, there!"

"Randy!" Natalie and Leland yelled.

"Mr. Monk, thank God you're okay." Natalie said, hugging Monk as tight as she could.

Monk cast a nervous glance toward Dr. Kroger.

"It's okay, Adrian. Just relax. Natalie's just happy to see you." Dr. Kroger said.

Realizing that Monk was uncomfortable, Natalie released her grip and stepped away.

"Sorry. I'm just screwing up everything today." She said.

Dr. Kroger took Natalie aside. "Look, Natalie. Adrian told me about the kiss and I think you're being much too hard on yourself."

"Oh you mean how I traumatized him by ruining his life?" Natalie said.

Dr. Kroger took Natalie's hand. "You did nothing wrong. It was just a reaction. A feeling."

Natalie sighed. "Yeah, and look where it got me. I'm so sorry."

"Natalie, you have nothing to be sorry for. Adrian's fine."

"But he'll never forgive me." Natalie said.

"Of course he will." Dr. Kroger said, giving her hand a squeeze.

Suddenly, Adrian looked around his house in horror. "OH MY GOD!"

Everyone jumped to attention. "What is it, Mr. Monk?" Natalie asked, rushing to his side.

Monk began to hyperventilate.

"Adrian, what's happening?" Dr. Kroger asked, rushing over to his patient.

"Wh-what happened here?" Monk asked, looking around the room.

"Monk, what are you talking about?" Leland asked.

"Th-the mess I made. It's gone." Monk said.

And Monk was right. The house was spotless. Everything was in its' place and the shattered pieces of his beloved Trudy's photos were gone. "Oh my God!" Monk cried, lowering himself into a chair. "I've been robbed!"

"No, Mr. Monk. Everything is still here." Natalie said. "The Captain, Randy and I... we hired a cleaning service to clean up your house for you."

"_You_ cleaned my house?" Monk asked.

"Well, yeah. It's the least I could do." Natalie said.

"What about my pictures of Trudy?" Monk asked worriedly.

"I have a surprise for you, Mr. Monk." Natalie said.

"A surprise?" Monk asked.

Natalie walked over to Monk's favorite chair and grabbed a large shopping bag, handing it to him.

"What's this? " Monk asked.

"Why don't you take a look?" Randy asked, smiling at Natalie.

Monk reached into the bag and pulled out a small picture frame.

"Turn it over, Mr. Monk." Natalie said.

Monk turned the frame over. "Trudy..." He said, smiling as he rubbed his finger over the glass.

"I had all your pictures retouched and reframed. " Natalie beamed.

Monk brought Trudy's picture to his mouth and kissed it. "God I miss you." He whispered.

Natalie watched with tears in her eyes.

"Okay..." Leland said. " I think everything is okay here. Thank you so much, Dr. Kroger." he said, shaking the therapist's hand.

"Bye, Captain! Bye, Randy!" Natalie said as they walked out the door.

"I should get going, too." Dr. Kroger said. "Adrian? Are you going to be okay?"

Monk smiled. "I'm fine now. Thanks to Natalie."

Dr. Kroger stopped in the doorway and touched Natalie's shoulder. "See? I told you he'd forgive you."


	14. Chapter 14

Monk sat on his bed and lightly ran his finger over Trudy's picture.

"What's wrong, Adrian?" the familiar voice asked.

Monk looked up in shock. "Trudy... What are you doing here?"

"I'm here because you needed me." Trudy said.

"I always need you." Monk replied.

"And I'm always with you, Darling. I'll never leave you." Trudy said.

Monk sighed. "I'm sorry, Trudy."

"What are you sorry for?" Trudy asked, caressing her husband's cheek.

"I-I'm sorry I kissed Natalie." Monk said.

"But you didn't kiss Natalie." Trudy said. "Natalie kissed you."

But I can't feel your lips on mine anymore." Monk sighed. "That feeling is lost forever."

Trudy smiled. She leaned over and kissed him on the mouth. It was the sweetest, most gentle kiss they had ever shared. "There." she said, smiling at him. "Now do you remember?"

"I love you, Trudy." Monk said.

"And I love you, Darling. Always." Trudy said as she took his hand. Gently, she brought his hand to her lips and kissed it. "You'll always be my hero."

Adrian opened his eyes and stared at Trudy's picture. Smiling, he touched his fingers to his lips.

The feeling had returned.

**THE END**


End file.
